Suspect

Keeping his eyes on the man in the surveillance footage, Chen Ge pieced together all of his strange behavior. His fingers slowly curled into a fist.

Without saying a word, he stood in the general management office, pulled out his phone, and called Captain Li at West City Police Station.

"Uncle Sanbao, I need to report a crime!"

"First, the number is 110. Calling me won't help. Second, call me Director Li." The call was answered after two rings, and Captain Li's hoarse voice came through the phone.

"I found the last person who escaped from Ping An Apartment! He came to New Century Park!"

"Are you sure?" Captain Li's voice changed the moment he heard that.

"It has to be him. Whatever you do, don't come in a police car. We don't want to tip him off and make him suspicious."

"We'll be there in fifteen minutes!"

After hanging up, Chen Ge kept his phone in hand, his eyes still fixed on the surveillance screens.

The staff nearby sensed something was wrong and hurried to call Uncle Xu over.

"What's going on?" Before long, Uncle Xu came in with a bottle of water. "Can't even let me eat in peace. Xiao Chen, why aren't you at your Haunted House? What are you doing here?"

He walked over to the surveillance screens, saw the phone in Chen Ge's hand, and asked tentatively, "Who were you just talking to?"

"The police."

Chen Ge didn't turn around. His gaze moved from one surveillance screen to another. "They should be here within fifteen minutes."

"The police?! How could you not talk this over with me first?" Uncle Xu's voice suddenly rose. "The park has comprehensive procedures for dealing with natural disasters and serious incidents..."

"Uncle Xu." Chen Ge turned and cut him off. His expression was calm, but there was an indescribable chill in his eyes. "Someone is trying to kill me!"

The moment he said it, the control room fell silent. Every employee turned to look at him.

"Chen Ge, have you been cooped up in that Haunted House so long that it's gotten to you?" Uncle Xu stopped calling him Xiao Chen and addressed him by his full name. "What are you saying in broad daylight?"

"I helped the police solve the Ping An Apartment Massacre from five years ago. But one of the killers involved in that case is still on the run."

By the time Chen Ge finished, Uncle Xu understood. "You're saying he snuck into the park and is planning to get revenge on you?"

"I thought he'd flee to another province. Who knew he'd have the nerve to come here?" Chen Ge pointed at the man on the surveillance screen. "That visitor is acting strangely. He's wearing long sleeves and a baseball cap, hiding his face completely. It isn't that cold, but he's kept both hands in his pockets. Even when smoking and drinking water, he only used his right hand. He never once took his left hand out of his pocket."

"What does that prove? Maybe it's just a personal quirk." Uncle Xu set down his water bottle and shut the door to the management office.

"The fugitive's name is Zhang Peng. He's almost exactly the same height and build as the man in the footage. Most importantly, Zhang Peng has a peony tattoo on the back of his left hand."

"A peony?"

"When the peony blooms, prosperity follows. He's a desperate gambler who's lost everything."

"You think he's keeping his left hand in his pocket so no one sees the tattoo?" Uncle Xu was getting nervous too. "Couldn't he just have a skin condition?"

"I have other evidence." Chen Ge switched to another camera feed. "After entering the park, he only went on one ride: the Ferris Wheel. And he rode it three times. Do you know what that means?"

"What does it mean?" Uncle Xu was having trouble keeping up with Chen Ge.

"The Ferris Wheel is the highest vantage point in the whole park. He was surveying it from above and planning his escape route." Chen Ge slowed down the footage. "When Xu Wan and I left the Haunted House for the cafeteria, we saw him sneaking toward the Haunted House. He spent the whole morning hanging around nearby, but never came in. He waited until the guard left before approaching. No normal visitor would do that."

"That's true." Uncle Xu nodded. Chen Ge's explanation sounded convincing. "But why would he go near the Haunted House when no one was around?"

Chen Ge tapped his fingers against the table. "Put yourself in his shoes. If I wanted to kill a Haunted House owner in the safest way possible, I'd hide inside the Haunted House beforehand. Then, when it closed for maintenance, I'd catch him off guard and deliver a fatal blow. The Haunted House is complicated and full of hiding places. It'd be easy to conceal a body after killing someone, too. As long as the blood was cleaned up, the body probably wouldn't be found until the next day."

Chen Ge's words sent a chill down Uncle Xu's spine. He could already picture the scene. "That really is terrifying."

"It's not just terrifying. It almost happened!" Chen Ge looked away, slowly unclenching his fist. "Luckily, he was too impatient. And luckily, I've been through so many strange things lately that my nerves have been on high alert. That's why I noticed him."

"Where is he now? Should I go evacuate the visitors?" Uncle Xu had realized how serious the situation was.

"He left the park after I spotted him. I hadn't checked the surveillance footage yet, so I wasn't sure my suspicions were right. That's why I didn't stop him."

"You did the right thing. If the suspect had gone on a rampage in the park, it could've caused a lot of chaos." Uncle Xu took a drink of water, then turned to the nearby staff. "The police will be here soon. Everyone, cooperate with them."

More than ten minutes later, the door to the management office opened, and three men in plainclothes came in. The one in front, carrying a notebook, was Li Sanbao. "Where's Chen Ge? Let me see your surveillance video."

With the staff's help, Captain Li compared the man in the footage with photos in the police database. In the end, they confirmed it was the same person!

"You've done it again, kid." Captain Li punched Chen Ge lightly on the shoulder, then took out his phone and contacted the City Branch Bureau to report the situation. After coordinating with them, they decided to split up: some officers would investigate discreetly, while others would set up surveillance around New Century Park.

"Zhang Peng is extremely dangerous. You need to be careful now that he's set his sights on you. There's a good chance he'll come back. I suggest you stay out of the Haunted House for now."

After Captain Li finished speaking, the employees in the management office all looked uneasy. Chen Ge, the one at the center of all this, remained perfectly calm. "If I'm not there, Xiao Wan can't keep the Haunted House running by herself. If it closes, Zhang Peng will definitely notice something's wrong. He's so sly, I doubt he'd take the bait."

"So you're planning to use yourself as bait inside the Haunted House?" Captain Li furrowed his brow, thinking it was too risky.

"Don't worry. If he dares to enter my Haunted House, I'll make sure he never leaves."